Church to construct low-rent housing for needy students

The Church of Cyprus plans to construct some 200 flats to house students who cannot afford renting places in Limassol, it was announced on Friday.

“As part of the excellent co-operation between the Archbishopric and the education ministry we have decided to start building homes for our poor students,” Archbishop Chrysostomos said.

The Church primate said they planned to start from Limassol where they owned land near a university that could take some 200 houses.

Chrysostomos said student housing should be built everywhere where the Church owned land so as to serve needy students who cannot afford €600 and €700 in rent demanded by society “which is unacceptable.”

“Poor students are forced to live in slums, an unacceptable situation, which does not do us honour,” the archbishop said.

He said the housing will be constructed on Church land and the rent will not exceed €200 per month.

“If it were possible to have the permit yesterday, we would have started,” building, he said. The plan is to finish the housing in Limassol inside 2020.

“After that we will build in Nicosia and anywhere else necessary.”

He added that the Church’s cooperation with the education ministry will continue “even if some people do not like it.”

Information

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